Jeff Aug holds the record for most countries in which an artist has performed in a 24-hour period – he even bested his own record on the release tour of Wedding Song, an album of instrumental solo guitar. Aug’s bluesy-folky songwriting is at times reminiscent of Richard Leo Johnson. Guitar mastery beyond reproach, varied dynamics, however his songwriting is a bit linear, something that becomes more obvious on longer tracks, like the repetitive “Ten Steps to the River’s Edge.”

Another release from Umlaut Records (a brand new release this time), and another project from pianist/singer Eve Risser (of Donkey Monkey). The new Songs is a quartet co-led by Risser and singer Sofia Jernberg, backed by two guitarists: David Stackenäs and Kim Myhr. Both play their instrument in textural and aerial ways, which fits perfectly with Risser’s piano preparations, and the disjointed lyrics and quiet vocal flights of Risser and Jernberg. The New Songs succeed where I always felt The Magic I.D. had failed: making genuine avant-songs inspired by microsonic free improvisation. Ear candy to me.

The recent release of the live boxset Cinéma Hildegard prompted me to get Hildegard Lernt Fliegen’s debut CD. It’s surprising to see how well all the elements were already in place on this first opus: the zaniness of singer Andreas Schaerer (who switches from opera to scat to beatboxing on a dime), the festive/fair-like side, the wacky side, the improvisation aspect. All lyrics are in English on this one, and lyrics and vocals have more important role on this album than on their second studio release. A good starting point, slightly more accessible.

The third release in Swiss label Veto’s Exchange series devoted to clarinettist Christoph Erb puts said Erb in a fine Chicago-based line-up: cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, bassist Jason Roebke, and drummer Frank Rosaly. SACK is a studio session, four Erb compositions with lots of free improvising room, in a free jazz vein that blends the Chicago sound with an European approach. The 20-minute “Kadhananlo” is quite eventful. A stimulating listen.

In a nutshell, Colors of Red Island revolves around a duo of percussionists. However, it’s more than that, since Claudio Scolari also plays flute, piano, and synthesizers. And his partner Daniele Cavalca (who co-wrote most of the tracks) is often heard on vibes and also plays bass. Simone Scolari occasionally adds a trumpet line. Colors of Red Island delivers World Beat music with complex multiple influences, however the music itself is accessible, easy-going, and often atmospheric (velvety jazz, delicate impressionism, etc.). It’s a long and long-winded album (79 minutes), but listen to it in two or three sittings, and you fall under its spell and, paradoxically, you will feel how much Scolari has a good sense of restraint.[Below: A video on the making of the album.]

This EP is available on cassette. Hey Mother Death are a duo from Halifax, Laurence Strelka and Denma Peisinger. Laurence is a poet-keyboardist. She says her texts in French (two songs out of three) and in English (with a thick French accent). Her sober murmuring is backed by guitars that are at times atmospheric at times morbid but always slow-paced, minimalist organ, and occasional beat box. “You Left Me”, with its dubbish 6/8 beat is the EP’s hit single. “Black Monday” is a long experimental piece, while “Desert of Trees and Water” is akin to Nadja’s brand of doom metal. A convincing debut. I like it.[Below: Listen before you buy, on bandcamp.]

There was a time when mysticism inspired John Zorn complex and arcane chamber music. Nowadays, his exploration of the same field yileds light, beautiful music in rapid succession. The Gnostic Preludes is the latest installment in a series whose musical roots go back to Bar Kokhba and The Gift, a series that has lately stopped evolving to demultiply into several line-up variations. The Gnostic Preludes stands out for its instrumentation and performers: harpist Carol Emanuel, guitarist Bill Frisell, and percussionist Kenny Wollesen (on vibes and bells). This music irradiates well-being and thoughtfulness, with a Jewish foundation and celestial updrafts.

This free jazz trio consists of saxman Christoph Gallio (of Day & Taxi), doublebassist Jan Roder, and drummer Oliver Steidle. Live in Zurich features a single 50-minute piece, a muscular performance that never boils over into the noisy or disjointed realm – clean muscular music, typically Swiss, right?

We (nous autres) is a confounding album of electronic, electroacoustic, and noise music. Each track features a different approach, from a trippy form of doom metal reminiscent of Kreng to noise techno that brings to mind Ø, by way of all-out noise art. Ten tracks in 42 minutes, but the final track lasts 14 minutes, and it proves to be more consequential, despite it unfolding in various tableaux. In that last track I hear the summary of a bold record.

I usually like, not love, Yves Daoust’s works. However, this DVD-A release, Voix, is worth slipping into an empreintes DIGITALes top 10 list. Throughout this record, Daoust is looking back - at himself, at electroacoustic music, at music in general. Voix breaks no new ground, it’s not a revolutionary record, but it showcases the mastery and talent of Daoust as a composer. Four pieces: a self-portrait where Daoust comes back to the Revox tape recorder of his youth; a piece made with daily concrete sounds (in an early musique concrète style); a tribute to an old friend who has passed away; and a rereading of Bach’s chorals. The latter piece, “Chorals ornés” (42 minutes) is a tour de force: Daoust has put electroacoustic and poetic garments over 14 chorals by Bach, performed at the church organ by Régis Rousseau. These ornaments highlight the emotions already contained in Bach’s music, or create constrats or bring in a personal interpretation. A great work of art.[Below: This link will open electrocd.com’s media player; it contains a handful of soundclips from the album.]

The more I hear albums belonging to Zorn’s recent melodic/jazz vein, the more I appreciate this stream of projects, while having a hard time distinguishing among these discs. The Goddess belongs to the In Search of the Miraculous / At the Gates of paradise / The Dreamers axis. It was inspired by female magicians, witches and prophets. This series of seven compositions are entrusted to a sextet: Rob Burger (at the piano), Kenny Wollesen (on vibes), harpist Carol Emanuel, Marc Ribot, Trevor Dubb, and Ben Perowsky. “Beyond the Infinite” is the pièce de résistance of this cycle – lively, complex, thrilling – while “Ode to Delphi” and “Heptameron” are very, very, very aking to The Dreamers’ repertoire. That being said, it’s a gorgeous disc.

I love Kate Bush. And I really like Theo Bleckmann, he with the unique voice. Bleckmann loves Kate Bush too and, judging from the track list, he and I both favour the same key albums: The Dreaming, Hounds of Love, and The Dreaming – these three account for ten of the fourteen songs rearranged herein. Bleckmann is backed by a top band consisting of Henry Hey, Caleb Burhans, Skuli Sverrisson, and John Hollenbeck. His touch is felt and heard all over the album: jazzy stance, Early Music vibe, contemporary soul, all with the utmost respect for Bush’s melodies and, most of all, exquiste lyrics. And Bleckmann hits the bull’s eye several times: the plea of “Running Up That Hill,” a reading of “Suspended in Gaffa” that starts off unrecognizable, a heavy-metal take on “Violin,” “Cloudbusting” infused with an optimism that always shakes me to the core, a delicate “All the Love,” and more and more. My only quabble is that Bleckmann’s approach gets too soft a few times, especially in “And Dream of Sheep” (inconsistent version) and “Hello Earth,” who deserved a more passionate reading. Minor quabbles, mind you. Released with a beautiful cover in Winter & Winter’s hardcover series. [Below: Live performance of “All the Love.”]

Here we are: the 12k label’s transformation from minimal techno to songwriting is complete. The welcome slide from to electronica to electroacoustic to acoustic music, and then from instrumental music to lyric-based songs finds its culmination in this beautiful CD of acoustic songs by Gareth Dickson. He has the voice of a dark and handsome character, and lyrics were suffering and personal growth are universalized to let the listener insert his or her own personal experience between the words. A simple and very elegant record.

These two Steves are key artists in the microsonic movement. And among Steve Roden’s works I prefer those where he sings - or at least where he makes use of his fragile, shy voice. Not a Leaf Remains as It Was is a project based on voice, text, and song, as seen through a microsonic lens. Four pieces, seven to eleven minutes in duration, where Steve and Steve, in an extreme self-effacing exercise, sing words picked out of a Japanese poetry book – phonetic material used with any real signifier or signified. A pump organ, a melodica, a few objects are enough to - barely - dress up these immaterial melodies. Listen carefully. [Below: A preview of the album.]

I Treni Inerti is a duo between Ruth Barberán (trumpet) and Alfredo Costa Monteiro (accordion). Both are also using objects and preparations. And both have a radically silent and noise-based approach to their instrument. Luz Azul is a continuous 48-minute improvisation recorded outdoor, at night, between two railroads. Two trains pass by during the piece, and they are by far the loudest actors in this play. A near-static yet surprisingly organic play.

I’m back on catching up with Zorn’s discography, with a second run of five records (there was a first run last month), and I’m starting with a very recent release called Mount Analogue. A 38-minute one-movement piece made of 60 short through-composed moments. For this work, Zorn has immersed himself in the works of G.I. Gurdjeff (directly and through René Daumal’s prism). I am not familiar with this corpus, but, like all of Zorn’s file card compositions, you don’t need to be to appreciate the music. Mount Analogue is a rich piece in which you easily and lightheartedly get lost, between highly melodic musical fragments (think In Search of the Miraculous). The project is performed by Cyro Baptista, Kenny Wollesen, Tim Keiper (that’s one, two, three percussionists), Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz (oud and bass), and Brian Marsella (keys). Enjoyable but a bit unruly on first listen, although I’m sure future listens will reveal greater, deeper things.

John Cage would have turned 100 years old in 2012 and, to celebrate, percussion quartet So Percussion has put together a grand project, starting with a long tour with a program of Cage works (“Credo in US,” “Imaginary Landscape #1,” “Third Construction,” etc.) and Cage-inspired works (Dan Deacon’s “Bottles,” Matmos’ “Needles” and other collaborations with So Percussion). Cage 100: Bootleg Series is a very original physical/virtual “box set” including: a blank LP with hand-made jacket; a tour sampler CD (compiled using the I Ching); and a card with an access code to download tons of recordings from the tour (the list of recordings is still growing). Recordings are bootleg-quality indeed, but quite listenable. Obviously, works are featured more than once, but count on Cage’s reliance on chance operations and performer choices to make sure that no two performances are quite alike. Edition limited to 300 copies. Street date: March 27, 2012. [Below: Matmos & So Percussion performing "Needles" in the studio.]

This EP (whose title transltes to “Postcards from Wales”) is a tribute to Kraftwerk by one Justin Toland. Four minimal electronic songs about the post-industrial era, capped by a robotic voice. The Kraftwerk atmosphere rings true, but Toland’s music is even more stripped-down and repetitive than the German band’s. And it quickly grows tiresome.